Education providers, registered health practitioners and their employers must tell the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) if they have formed a reasonable belief that a registered health practitioner has behaved in a way that constitutes notifiable conduct.

Notifiable conduct by registered health practitioners is:

practising while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs

sexual misconduct in the practice of the profession

placing the public at risk of substantial harm because of an impairment (health issue), or

placing the public at risk because of a significant departure from accepted professional standards.

You can find out more about mandatory notifications on the AHPRA website.

How do I make a mandatory report to protect a child?

The law requires all NSW health practitioners, including doctors, to report to welfare authorities if they treat a child and they have reasonable grounds to suspect that child is at risk of significant harm. The harm might be in any of the following ways:

physical abuse

neglect

sexual abuse

psychological harm

the child or young person is a risk to themselves or others

the child is significantly affected by carer concerns such as substance abuse, mental health or domestic violence.

It is mandatory to make a report about children aged 0-15 years. While it is not mandatory to report possible harm to unborn children or children aged 16-17, professional judgement should be used in each case to decide whether to do so.

The NSW Department of Family and Community Services has published a summary of the mandatory reporting requirements. It also has a guide to help practitioners decide whether a child is at a risk of the level of harm that would require a report.

Mandatory reporting requirements differ slightly between states and territories. If you practise outside of NSW, click here for more information.